South of Moab, Utah, lies an extreme OHV trail that has a controversial history. In the last 12 years this trail has been opened by the BLM, it has been closed under emergency management for several years, then reopened but has restrictions, a fence and a gate. Why so much controversy, you may ask? It is all about location. This trail is adjacent to a landowner that is a non-motorized recreationist.

This is Coyote Canyon trail, one of the most extreme 4x4 routes surrounding Moab.
In 2004, Coyote Canyon trail was open 24/7, 365 days a year, but that changed quickly when the adjacent land owner cried foul after purposefully placing a foot under a tire on a buggy on the trail and letting it get run over.  The BLM closed the trail under an “emergency management order.” The trail was closed for OHV use for approximately three years before a resolution was found to satisfy the need for recreational wheeling and control from the non-motorized community. As a result, if you want to run Coyote Canyon today you have to request a permit from the BLM office in Moab. Book early if you plan on taking your chance in Coyote Canyon because the trail is only open for groups of seven vehicles or less and only on Friday and Saturday. Your permit outlines the guidelines for the trail, but in short, you cannot be on the trail before 9 a.m. and past 5 p.m. You can only drive this trail in a rock crawler, so no UTVs, dirt bikes, etc., are allowed. Your permit will also give you the gate code, which changes frequently.

While some cry foul that this trail is only available for use on certain days, OHV recreationist were able to negotiate the trail back into the BLM travel management plan. Red Rock 4-Wheelers, Moab 4x4 Outpost, and several individuals throughout the OHV community spent hundreds of volunteer hours to be able to keep this trail open for public use. Kudos and a big thank you to all involved and all those who wrote in letters to the BLM to keep the trail open and worked diligently to find a solution.

If you’re able to gain access to the trial, min you, it is not your average four-wheel drive trail that you see photos of from Easter Jeep Safari, nor does it feature the red sandstone slickrock for which Moab is famous. In fact, Coyote Canyon has no slick rock at all; instead the trail is littered with boulders larger than a VW Beetle, rocks that move around when you drive on them, conglomerate rocks that don’t match the surrounding landscape in an area known as Blackridge.

This trail has vertical climbs and holes big enough to swallow a 42-inch tire.  The trail is a loop trail, and not that long at .65 miles in length. But don’t be fooled. It can take anywhere from a half hour to several hours to complete the loop. Plan for breakage if you are not running chromoly axle shafts, and even then, have spares.

The sign at the bottom recommends 37-inch tires minimum, but bigger is always better. Make sure you have a winch too, because some times that’s your only option off Coyote Canyon. Above all, if you do get a permit to run Coyote Canyon, stay in the canyon bottom, and remember to have fun!

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